Shiva is the universe; with this caption Rahul Gandhi shares first pic of Kailash-Mansarovar trip

New Delhi: The first pictures of Rahul Gandhi on his Kailash-Mansarovar trip were shared on Friday by his Congress party and a fellow pilgrim. The Congress president, who is on a 12-day pilgrimage to the shrine, was without his security detail and standing with fellow pilgrims.

Mr Rahul Gandhi, one of the most protected politicians in the country, chose not to take his security, say sources. He had informed the Special Protection Group about his decision to travel alone as he was on a personal pilgrimage, said sources close to Mr Gandhi.

Mr Gandhi, who has been sharing photos every day, began the day with his own post. "Shiva is the universe," captioned the 48-year-old, who calls himself a Shiv-bhakt (shiva devotee).

According to a Congress post, their chief "trekked for 13 hours non-stop yesterday - a distance of about 34 km". Rahul Gandhi chose to trek instead of going on horseback. A screen grab of his Fitbit was also shared on Twitter.

Sadhavi Khosla who had quit the BJP social media cell as a volunteer in 2015, has tweeted the latest photographs and a clip of Rahul from his pilgrimage. In a series of tweets, Khosla shared the photos of Rahul which shows the Congress president clad in heavy winter wears and having light moments with other pilgrims.

“Here’s the man at Kailash Yatra! Lord Shiva will bless you in abundance Rahul Gandhi! The blessings of Bhole Baba will give you all the strength to consume and digest the poison,” Khosla’s tweeted along with a photo of Rahul.

While a few have been questioning the authenticity of the Mansarovar yatra photos tweeted from Rahul Gandhi's twitter account, for the first time his own photos and video from the pilgrimage has come out in media.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi who calls himself a ‘Shiv bhakt’ is on a pilgrimage to the Kailash Mansarovar in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. He has been tweeting photos of his trip for the last few days. While a few have been questioning the authenticity of the photos tweeted from Rahul’s twitter account, for the first time his own photos and video from the pilgrimage has come out in media.

Sadhavi Khosla who had quit the BJP social media cell as a volunteer in 2015, has tweeted the latest photographs and a clip of Rahul from his pilgrimage. In a series of tweets, Khosla shared the photos of Rahul which shows the Congress president clad in heavy winter wears and having light moments with other pilgrims.

“Here’s the man at Kailash Yatra! Lord Shiva will bless you in abundance Rahul Gandhi! The blessings of Bhole Baba will give you all the strength to consume and digest the poison,” Khosla’s tweeted along with a photo of Rahul.

In another tweet, Khosla said that ‘Shiv bhakt’ Rahul Gandhi has blessings of the Mahadev.“Har Har Mahadev. God is with you!!!” her tweet along with three photographs of Rahul, reads.

Khosla also shared a 45-second-long video of Rahul talking to a few people outside the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra camp on the route.

The 48-year-old Congress chief left for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on August 31, in accordance with a wish he expressed in April, when his plane plunged hundreds of feet during the campaign for the Karnataka polls. Mr Gandhi is likely to cover a distance of 60 km on foot.

On September 5, Mr Gandhi posted a picture of Mount Kailash, saying "It is so humbling to be walking in the shadow of this giant." Earlier he also shared pictures of the Lake Mansarovar saying "there is no hatred here."

In other photos, Mr Gandhi is seen in jeans, jacket, a pair of sunglasses and a snapback cap. A video was also shared by a pilgrim, in which the politician was seen smiling, standing in a group, against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

Rahul Gandhi has also tweeted photos of the breathtaking Mansarovar lake, surrounded by mountains earlier. "A man goes to Kailash when it calls him," said a tweet. He described the waters of the Mansarovar Lake as "gentle, tranquil and calm."

The Congress chief left for Kailash-Mansarovar on August 31, keeping a promise he had made in April, when his plane plunged hundreds of feet while flying him to a public meeting for the Karnataka polls.

Rahul Gandhi's pilgrimage has come under sharp criticism from the BJP. The party questioned Mr Gandhi's choice of route via Nepal. The BJP alleged that Mr Gandhi is visiting China and the government needs to know who he is meeting there.

The Congress party took the opportunity to attack the BJP and accused it of politicising Rahul Gandhi’s pilgrimage. Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the Congress president will expose the fake Hindus of BJP.

“Param Shiv Bhakt, Rahul Gandhiji, being guided by Lord Shiva himself, in exposing the Dhongi Hindus of the BJP,” she tweeted.

Earlier, Rahul had paid glowing tributes to Kailash Mansarovar, saying there was no hatred at the holy place. “The waters of lake Mansarovar are so gentle, tranquil and calm. They give everything and lose nothing. Anyone can drink from them. There is no hatred here. This is why we worship these waters in India,” he had said in a tweet and attached pictures of the Mansarovar lake and Kailash mountain.

Rahul Gandhi had left on the pilgrimage on August 31 and is expected to return by September 11.